Essential University Physics, 3e (Wolfson)

Chapter 6 Work, Energy, and Power

6.1 Conceptual Questions
1) If the dot product of two nonzero vectors is zero, the vectors must be perpendicular to each
other.
A) True
B) False
Answer: A
Var: 1

2) If two nonzero vectors point in the same direction, their dot product must be zero.
A) True
B) False
Answer: B
Var: 1

3) The value of the dot product of two vectors depends on the particular coordinate system being
used.
A) True
B) False
Answer: B
Var: 1

4) Two men, Joel and Jerry, push against a wall. Jerry stops after 10 min, while Joel is able to
push for 5.0 min longer. Compare the work they do.
A) Both men do positive work, but Joel does 75% more work than Jerry.
B) Both men do positive work, but Joel does 50% more work than Jerry.
C) Both men do positive work, but Jerry does 50% more work than Joel.
D) Both men do positive work, but Joel does 25% more work than Jerry.
E) Neither of them does any work.
Answer: E
Var: 1

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5) A stock person at the local grocery store has a job consisting of the following five segments:
(1) picking up boxes of tomatoes from the stockroom floor
(2) accelerating to a comfortable speed
(3) carrying the boxes to the tomato display at constant speed
(4) decelerating to a stop
(5) lowering the boxes slowly to the floor.
During which of the five segments of the job does the stock person do positive work on the
boxes?
A) (1) and (5)
B) (1) only
C) (1), (2), (4), and (5)
D) (1) and (2)
E) (2) and (3)
Answer: D
Var: 1

6) A 3.00-kg ball swings rapidly in a complete vertical circle of radius 2.00 m by a light string
that is fixed at one end. The ball moves so fast that the string is always taut and perpendicular to
the velocity of the ball. As the ball swings from its lowest point to its highest point
A) the work done on it by gravity and the work done on it by the tension in the string are both
equal to -118 J.
B) the work done on it by gravity is -118 J and the work done on it by the tension in the string is
+118 J.
C) the work done on it by gravity is +118 J and the work done on it by the tension in the string is
-118 J.
D) the work done on it by gravity is -118 J and the work done on it by the tension in the string is
zero.
E) the work done on it by gravity and the work done on it by the tension in the string are both
equal to zero.
Answer: D
Var: 1

7) Consider a plot of the displacement (x) as a function of the applied force (F) for an ideal
elastic spring. The slope of the curve would be
A) the spring constant.
B) the reciprocal of the spring constant.
C) the acceleration due to gravity.
D) the reciprocal of the acceleration of gravity.
E) the mass of the object attached to the spring.
Answer: B
Var: 1

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8) Which of the graphs in the figure illustrates Hooke's Law?

A) Graph a
B) Graph b
C) Graph c
D) graph d
Answer: B
Var: 1

9) Which of the graphs in the figure represents a spring that gets less stiff the more it is
stretched?

A) Graph a
B) Graph b
C) Graph c
D) Graph d
Answer: D
Var: 1

10) A 4.0-kg object is moving with speed 2.0 m/s. A 1.0-kg object is moving with speed 4.0 m/s.
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Both objects encounter the same constant braking force, and are brought to rest. Which object
travels the greater distance before stopping?
A) the 4.0-kg object
B) the 1.0-kg object
C) Both objects travel the same distance.
D) It is impossible to know without knowing how long each force acts.
Answer: C
Var: 1

11) If a force always acts perpendicular to an object's direction of motion, that force cannot
change the object's kinetic energy.
A) True
B) False
Answer: A
Var: 1

12) Three cars (car F, car G, and car H) are moving with the same velocity when the driver
suddenly slams on the brakes, locking the wheels. The most massive car is car F, the least
massive is car H, and all three cars have identical tires.
(a)
Which car travels the longest distance to skid to a stop?
A) Car F
B) Car G
C) Car H
D) They all travel the same distance in stopping.
(b)

For which car does friction do the largest amount of work in stopping the car?
A) Car F
B) Car G
C) Car H
D) The amount of work done by friction is the same for all cars.
Answer: (a) D (b) A
Var: 1

13) Two objects, one of mass m and the other of mass 2m, are dropped from the top of a building.
When they hit the ground
A) both of them will have the same kinetic energy.
B) the heavier one will have twice the kinetic energy of the lighter one.
C) the heavier one will have four times the kinetic energy of the lighter one.
D) the heavier one will have
times the kinetic energy of the lighter one.
Answer: B
Var: 1

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6.2 Problems
1) Determine the scalar product of

= 6.0 + 4.0 - 2.0 and

= 5.0 - 6.0 - 3.0 .

A) 30 + 24 + 6
B) 30 - 24 + 6
C) 12
D) 60
E) undefined
Answer: C
Var: 5

2) Determine the angle between the directions of vector

= 3.00 + 1.00 and vector

= -3.00

+ 3.00 .
A) 26.6
B) 30.0
C) 88.1
D) 117
E) 45.2
Answer: D
Var: 5

3) The scalar product of vector

vectors could be vector

= 3.00 + 2.00 and vector

is 10.0. Which of the following

A) 2.00 + 4.00
B) 4.00 + 6.00
C) 5.00 + 4.00
D) 12.0
E) 2.00 + 2.00
Answer: E
Var: 5

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4) The angle between vector

vectors

and

= 2.00 + 3.00 and vector

is 3.00. If the x component of vector

is

The scalar product of

is positive, what is vector

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
Answer: B
Var: 5

5) What is the angle between the vector

A) 115
B) 65
C) 25
D) 155
E) 90
Answer: A

= +3 - 2 - 3 and the +y-axis?

Var: 16

6) If = 3 - + 4 and
Answer: 7

= x + - 5 , find x so

will be perpendicular to

Var: 1

7) Two boys searching for buried treasure are standing underneath the same tree. One boy walks
east and then
north. The other boy walks
west and then
north. Find the
scalar product of their net displacements from the tree.
Answer: -90
Var: 50+

8) A rectangular box is positioned with its vertices at the following points:

A = (0,0,0)
C = (2,4,0)
E = (0,0,3)
G = (2,4,3)
B = (2,0,0)
D = (0,4,0)
F = (2,0,3)
H = (0,4,3)
If the coordinates all have three significant figures, the angle between the line segments AG and
AH is closest to:
A) 21.8.
B) 22.5.
C) 26.6.
D) 36.9.
E) 45.0.
Answer: A
Var: 1

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9) For the vectors shown in the figure, assume numbers are accurate to two significant figures.
The scalar product is closest to

A) zero.
B) 16.
C) 45.
D) -16.
E) -45.
Answer: D
Var: 1

10) Three forces, F1 = 20.0 N, F2 = 40.0 N, and F3 = 10.0 N act on an object with a mass of
2.00 kg which can move along a frictionless inclined plane as shown in the figure. The questions
refer to the instant when the object has moved through a distance of 0.600 m along the surface of
the inclined plane in the upward direction. Calculate the amount of work done by
(a) F1
(b) F2
(c) F3.

Answer: (a) 12.0 J

(b) 20.8 J (c) 0.00 J

Var: 1

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11) You carry a 7.0 kg bag of groceries

above the level floor at a constant velocity of 75
cm/s across a room that is
room. How much work do you do on the bag in the process?
A) 0.0 J
B) 82 J
C) 158 J
D) 134 J
Answer: A
Var: 50+

12) A student slides her 80.0-kg desk across the level floor of her dormitory room a distance 4.00
m at constant speed. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the desk and the floor is 0.400,
how much work did she do?
A) 128 J
B) 3.14 kJ
C) 26.7 J
D) 1.26 kJ
E) 24.0 J
Answer: D
Var: 5

13) Find the net work done by friction on the body of a snake slithering in a complete circle of
radius. The coefficient of friction between the ground and the snake is 0.25, and the
snake's weight is
A) -330 J
B) 0 J
C) -3300 J
D) -670 J
Answer: A
Var: 50+

14) A crane lifts a 425 kg steel beam vertically a distance of

How much work does the
crane do on the beam if the beam accelerates upward at 1.8 m/s2? Neglect frictional forces.
A) 5.8 105 J
B) 3.4 105 J
C) 4.0 105 J
D) 4.9 105 J
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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15) An airplane flies 120 km at a constant altitude in a direction 30.0 north of east. A wind is
blowing that results in a net horizontal force on the plane due to the air of 2.40 kN in a direction
10.0 south of west. How much work is done on the plane by the air?
A) -2.71 108 J
B) -0.985 108 J
C) -221 108 J
D) 221 108 J
E) 0.821 108 J
Answer: A
Var: 1

16) A traveler pulls on a suitcase strap at an angle 36 above the horizontal. If

of work are
done by the strap while moving the suitcase a horizontal distance of 15 m, what is the tension in
the strap?
A) 75 N
B) 61 N
C) 85 N
D) 92 N
Answer: A
Var: 50+

17) An object is acted upon by a force that represented by the force vs. position graph in the
figure. What is the work done as the object moves
(a) from 4 m to 6 m?
(b) from 6 m to 12 m?

Answer: (a) 20 J

(b) 30 J

Var: 1

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18) In the figure, a constant external force P = 160 N is applied to a 20.0-kg box, which is on a
rough horizontal surface. While the force pushes the box a distance of 8.00 m, the speed changes
from 0.500 m/s to 2.60 m/s. The work done by friction during this process is closest to

A) -1040 J.
B) +1110 J.
C) +1170 J.
D) +1040 J.
E) -1170 J.
Answer: A
Var: 1

19) In the figure, a 700-kg crate is on a rough surface inclined at 30. A constant external force P
= 5600 N is applied horizontally to the crate. As the force pushes the crate a distance of 3.00 m
up the incline, the speed changes from 1.40 m/s to 2.50 m/s. How much work does gravity do on
the crate during this process?

A) -10,300 J
B) -3400 J
C) +10,300 J
D) +3400 J
E) zero
Answer: A
Var: 1

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20) A graph of the force on an object as a function of its position is shown in the figure.
Determine the amount of work done by this force on an object that moves from x = 1.0 m to x =
6.0 m. (Assume an accuracy of 2 significant figures for the numbers on the graph.)

A) 26 J
B) 29 J
C) 22 J
D) 35 J
E) 27 J
Answer: A
Var: 5

21) A graph of the force on an object as a function of its position is shown in the figure.
Determine the amount of work done by this force on the object during a displacement from x =
-2.00 m to x = 2.00 m. (Assume an accuracy of 3 significant figures for the numbers on the
graph.)

A) -12.0 J
B) -3.00 J
C) -1.00 J
D) 12.0 J
E) 3.00 J
Answer: C
Var: 1

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22) A force

= 12 N - 10 N acts on an object. How much work does this force do as the

object moves from the origin to the point

A) 46 J
B) 266 J
C) 37 J
D) 62 J
Answer: A
Var: 8

23) A spring stretches by

that would stretch the spring by
A) 199 N
B) 91.0 N
C) 145 N
D) 279 N
Answer: A

when a

object is attached. What is the weight of a fish

Var: 50+

24) An object attached to an ideal massless spring is pulled across a frictionless surface. If the
spring constant is 45 N/m and the spring is stretched by 0.88 m when the object is accelerating at
what is the mass of the object?
A) 20 kg
B) 17 kg
C) 22 kg
D) 26 kg
Answer: A
Var: 18

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25) In the figure, two identical ideal massless springs have unstretched lengths of 0.25 m and
spring constants of 700 N/m. The springs are attached to a small cube and stretched to a length L
of 0.30 m as in Figure A. An external force P pulls the cube a distance D = 0.020 m to the right
and holds it there. (See Figure B.) The external force P, that holds the cube in place in Figure B,
is closest to

A) 28 N.
B) 25 N.
C) 21 N.
D) 18 N.
E) 14 N.
Answer: A
Var: 1

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26) Block A (0.40 kg) and block B (0.30 kg) are on a frictionless table (see figure). Spring 1
connects block A to a frictionless peg at 0 and spring 2 connects block A and block B. When the
blocks are in uniform circular motion about 0, the springs have lengths of 0.60 m and 0.40 m, as
shown. The springs are ideal and massless, and the linear speed of block B is 2.0 m/s. If the
distance that spring 2 stretches is 0.060 m, the spring constant of spring 2 is closest to

A) 18 N/m.
B) 20 N/m.
C) 22 N/m.
D) 24 N/m.
E) 26 N/m.
Answer: B
Var: 1

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27) Block A (0.40 kg) and block B (0.30 kg) are on a frictionless table (see figure). Spring 1
connects block A to a frictionless peg at 0 and spring 2 connects block A and block B. When the
blocks are in uniform circular motion about 0, the springs have lengths of 0.60 m and 0.40 m, as
shown. The springs are ideal and massless, and the linear speed of block B is 2.0 m/s. If the
spring constant of spring 1 is equal to 30 N/m, the unstretched length of spring 1 is closest to

A) 0.51 m.
B) 0.52 m.
C) 0.53 m.
D) 0.54 m.
E) 0.55 m.
Answer: C
Var: 1

28) A force on a particle depends on position such that F(x) = (3.00 N/ ) + (6.00 N/m)x for a
particle constrained to move along the x-axis. What work is done by this force on a particle that
moves from x = 0.00 m to x = 2.00 m?
A) 10.0 J
B) 20.0 J
C) -48.0 J
D) 24.0 J
E) 48.0 J
Answer: B
Var: 5

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29) A person pushes horizontally on a heavy box and slides it across the level floor at constant
velocity. The person pushes with a 60.0 N force for the first
at which time he begins to
tire. The force he exerts then starts to decrease linearly from 60.0 N to 0.00 N across the
remaining
How much total work did the person do on the box?
A) 619 J
B) 826 J
C) 495 J
D) 925 J
Answer: A
Var: 50+

30) It requires 49 J of work to stretch an ideal very light spring from a length of 1.4 m to a length
of 2.9 m. What is the value of the spring constant of this spring?
A) 15 N/m
B) 44 N/m
C) 29 N/m
D) 22 N/m
Answer: A
Var: 50+

31) A force F = bx3 acts in the x direction, where the value of b is 3.7 N/m3. How much work is
done by this force in moving an object from
to
A) 42 J
B) 13 J
C) 50 J
D) 57 J
Answer: A
Var: 13

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32) In the figure, two identical springs have unstretched lengths of 0.25 m and spring constants
of 300 N/m. The springs are attached to a small cube and stretched to a length L of 0.36 m as in
Figure A. An external force P pulls the cube a distance D = 0.020 m to the right and holds it
there. (See Figure B.) The work done by the external force P in pulling the cube 0.020 m is
closest to

A) 0.12 J.
B) 0.060 J.
C) 6.0 J.
D) 12 J.
E) 0.80 J.
Answer: A
Var: 1

33) A 1000.0 kg car is moving at

the car, how fast is the truck moving?
A) 45 km/h
B) 63 km/h
C) 54 km/h
D) 36 km/h
Answer: A

If a

truck has 18 times the kinetic energy of

Var: 50+

34) How much energy is needed to change the speed of a 1600 kg sport utility vehicle from 15.0
m/s to 40.0 m/s?
A) 1.10 MJ
B) 10.0 kJ
C) 20.0 kJ
D) 40.0 kJ
E) 0.960 MJ
Answer: A
Var: 1

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35) The coefficient of the restitution of an object is defined as the ratio of its outgoing to
incoming speed when the object collides with a rigid surface. For an object with a coefficient of
0.78, what fraction of the object's kinetic energy is lost during a single collision?
A) 39%
B) 16%
C) 47%
D) 61%
Answer: A
Var: 31

36) A worker lifts a 20.0-kg bucket of concrete from the ground up to the top of a 20.0-m tall
building. The bucket is initially at rest, but is traveling at 4.0 m/s when it reaches the top of the
building. What is the minimum amount of work that the worker did in lifting the bucket?
A) 3.92 kJ
B) 400 J
C) 560 J
D) 4.08 kJ
E) 160 J
Answer: D
Var: 5

37) A ball is thrown upward at an angle with a speed and direction such that it reaches a
maximum height of 16.0 m above the point it was released, with no appreciable air resistance.
At its maximum height it has a speed of 18.0 m/s. With what speed was the ball released?
A) 25.3 m/s
B) 22.2 m/s
C) 33.0 m/s
D) 29.2 m/s
E) 36.9 m/s
Answer: A
Var: 5

38) A 1000 kg car experiences a net force of 9500 N while decelerating from 30.0 m/s to 23.4
m/s. How far does it travel while slowing down?
A) 18.5 m
B) 17.4 m
C) 20.2 m
D) 21.9 m
Answer: A
Var: 1

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39) A constant horizontal pull acts on a sled on a horizontal frictionless ice pond. The sled starts
from rest. When the pull acts over a distance x, the sled acquires a speed v and a kinetic energy
K. If the same pull instead acts over twice this distance:
A) The sleds speed will be 2v and its kinetic energy will be 2K.
B) The sleds speed will be 2v and its kinetic energy will be K .
C) The sleds speed will be v and its kinetic energy will be 2K.
D) The sled's speed will be v and its kinetic energy will be K .
E) The sled's speed will be 4v and its kinetic energy will be 2K.
Answer: C
Var: 1

40) In the figure, a 900-kg crate is on a rough surface inclined at 30. A constant external force
is applied horizontally to the crate. While this force pushes the crate a distance of 3.0
m up the incline, its velocity changes from 1.2 m/s to 2.3 m/s. How much work does friction do
during this process?

A) -3700 J
B) -7200 J
C) +3700 J
D) +7200 J
E) zero
Answer: A
Var: 50+

41) A 5.00-kg box slides 4.00 m across the floor before coming to rest. What is the coefficient of
kinetic friction between the floor and the box if the box had an initial speed of 3.00 m/s?
A) 1.13
B) 0.587
C) 0.115
D) 0.229
E) 0.267
Answer: C
Var: 5

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42) You slam on the brakes of your car in a panic, and skid a certain distance on a straight, level
road. If you had been traveling twice as fast, what distance would the car have skidded, under
identical conditions?
A) It would have skidded 4 times farther.
B) It would have skidded 2 times farther.
C) It would have skidded
times farther.
D) It would have skidded 1/ times farther.
E) It would have skidded 1/2 as far.
Answer: A
Var: 1

43) In the figure, two boxes, each of mass 24 kg, are at rest and connected as shown. The
coefficient of kinetic friction between the inclined surface and the box is 0.31. Find the speed of
the boxes just after they have moved 1.6 m.

Answer: 1.9 m/s

Var: 1

44) A 4.00-kg mass is attached to a very light ideal spring hanging vertically and hangs at rest in
the equilibrium position. The spring constant of the spring is 1.00 N/cm. The mass is pulled
downward 2.00 cm and released. What is the speed of the mass when it is 1.00 cm above the
point from which it was released?
A) 0.0443 m/s
B) 0.0744 m/s
C) 0.0201 m/s
D) 0.0866 m/s
E) The mass will not reach the height specified.
Answer: D
Var: 5

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45) An unusual spring has a restoring force of magnitude F = (2.00 N/m)x + (1.00 N/m2)x2,
where x is the stretch of the spring from its equilibrium length. A 3.00-kg object is attached to
this spring and released from rest after stretching the spring 1.50 m. If the object slides over a
frictionless horizontal surface, how fast is it moving when the spring returns to its equilibrium
length?
A) 2.06 m/s
B) 4.33 m/s
C) 3.27 m/s
D) 5.48 m/s
E) 1.50 m/s
Answer: E
Var: 5

46) The force on a 3.00-kg object as a function of position is shown in the figure. If an object is
moving at 2.50 m/s when it is located at x = 2.00 m, what will its speed be when it reaches x =
8.00 m? (Assume that the numbers on the graph are accurate to 3 significant figures.)

A) 3.25 m/s
B) 3.70 m/s
C) 4.10 m/s
D) 2.90 m/s
E) 4.50 m/s
Answer: A
Var: 1

47) A 7.0-kg rock is subject to a variable force given by the equation

F(x) = 6.0 N - (2.0 N/m)x + (6.0 N/m2)x2
If the rock initially is at rest at the origin, find its speed when it has moved 9.0 m.
Answer: 20 m/s
Var: 1

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48) A 1500-kg car accelerates from 0 to 25 m/s in 7.0 s with negligible friction and air resistance.
What is the average power delivered by the engine? (1 hp = 746 W)
A) 50 hp
B) 60 hp
C) 70 hp
D) 80 hp
E) 90 hp
Answer: E
Var: 1

49) A child pulls on a wagon with a horizontal force of

If the wagon moves horizontally a
total of
in
what is the average power generated by the child?
A) 18 W
B) 22 W
C) 24 W
D) 27 W
Answer: A
Var: 29

50) A car needs to generate

in order to maintain a constant velocity of
on a flat
road. What is the magnitude of the total resistive force acting on the car (due to friction, air
resistance, etc.)? (1 hp = 746 W)
A) 2.05 103 N
B) 2.75 N
C) 1.03 103 N
D) 2.87 103 N
Answer: A
Var: 50+

51) How long will it take a 7.08 hp motor to lift a 250 kg beam directly upward at constant
velocity from the ground to a height of 45.0 m? Assume frictional forces are negligible. (1 hp =
746 W)
A) 20.9 s
B) 1.56 104 s
C) 2.18 104 s
D) 39.7 s
Answer: A
Var: 50+

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52) Calculate the minimum average power output necessary for a

person to run up a 12.0
m long hillside, which is inclined at 25.0 above the horizontal, in 3.00 s. You can neglect the
person's kinetic energy. Express your answer in horsepower. (1 hp = 746 W)
A) 1.24 hp
B) 2.93 hp
C) 1.86 hp
D) 0.740 hp
Answer: A
Var: 50+

53) If electricity costs 6.00/kWh (kilowatt-hour), how much would it cost you to run a 120 W
stereo system 4.0 hours per day for 4.0 weeks?
A) $0.81
B) $0.12
C) $1.38
D) $2.27
Answer: A
Var: 50+

54) The work performed as a function of time for a process is given by

What is the instantaneous power output at
A) 99 W
B) 69 W
C) 139 W
D) 208 W
Answer: A
Var: 26

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where